Thank God It's Christmas
Queen's big Christmas song
I first thought about this song a week ago but it didn’t suit the mood I was in. It was too somber and I was having a hard enough time leading up to my Dad’s birthday. Listened to it again the day after and realized it needs to be the Christmas Day SOTD. It’s meditative, with Freddie Mercury’s soaring vocal giving it gravity.
This track first appeared on Greatest Hits III. It’s highly unusual as it didn’t appear on an album first and it was a collaboration between Roger Taylor and Brian May. The song spent six weeks in the UK charts over the Christmas/New Year period 1984/1985. It was released again as part of the single for A Winter’s Tale in 1995. It’s been remastered and released a few times every since, finally ending up as a bonus track on the deluxe re-issue of The Works.
In 2019, a music video was finally made for it. It’s directed and animated by Justin Moon and depict a wintery evening scene with during the Christmas season. It scans up an apartment complex, ending up with an absolutely gorgeous Aurora Borealis1. Here’s what Roger Taylor said upon its release:
Ironically, Christmas tends to be such a stressful time for so many of us. So many emotions, joyful memories of past Christmas’ as delighted children and responsible adults / parents. It's just a great relief when it finally happens.
Brian May adds:
The video goes a little further by including a subtle reminder that we as humans now need to feel a responsibility for the welfare of ALL creatures on Earth - not just for our own benefit, and that of our grandchildren, but out of respect for the rights of the animals themselves.
I can’t think of a better message to send.
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, blessings for those who don’t, and love and good wishes to everyone who reads. Enjoy your Song of the Day!
Life goal - to see it in person.
What a thoughtful and beautiful message, MK....yours, not so much Queen's, which I'll get to! Thank you for this. This one's not the easiest for me, so I'm trying to pick up the moments of joy and good cheer any- and everywhere I can! My mom passed away Christmas Eve 7 years ago, my tiny immediate family is down to just li'l ole me, after my bro passed nearly 6 years ago.
I enjoyed this Queen song which I've never heard before. Never a particular fan, they're a band I was satisfied with just hearing whatever radio deigned to play. When this song came out, mid-'80s (as a single released, apparently, only in the UK...certainly not in the States), I was fully immersed in my career-altering foray into college in my return to it at age 30! So, that mid-'80s period is my definite pop culture "black hole"!
What's amazing to me is that the band, bathing in the crowded pool of music videos at the time, didn't make a video for this until so recently, you could almost use a watch to mark the elapsed time! It IS a beautiful animation, and a great message. Thanks again, MK....the video, and particularly your message, are much appreciated today!